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Friday Wrap-Up – News from PEI Brewing, Upstreet, Big Spruce, Boxing Rock, Unfiltered and much more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2016-08-05
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Alexander Keith's History Brewery, Annapolis Cider Company, Big Axe Brewery, Big Spruce Brewing, Big Tide Brewing, Boxing Rock Brewing, Gahan House Harbourfront (Halifax), Garrison Brewing, Good Robot Brewing, PEI Brewing Co., Propeller Brewing, RockBottom Brewpub, Tatamagouche Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Unfiltered Brewing, Upstreet Craft Brewing, York County Cider. Leave a Comment

Welcome once again to the weekend, and the end of another week chock-full of Atlantic Canada beer news! Yesterday, August 4th, was IPA Day, so naturally many breweries in our region released several new IPAs to celebrate this national holiday. Let’s begin with that…

• First off, PEI Brewing Co. has an Oat Session IPA now available, an unfiltered beer that Brewmaster Chris Coles is describing as “cloudy-golden, pungent, and refreshing”. Featuring a simple grist of “mild-ale malt” and Flaked Oats, it’s hopped with Mosaic and Huell Melon, the high majority of which were added as whirlpool and dry hop additions, giving the beer a huge tropical fruit, citrus, and spruce aroma, with just a slightly-bitter finish. Weighing in at just 4.2% ABV and 30 IBUs, look for it at the brewery and at the Gahan House in Charlottetown, and maybe one or two beer bars in the province. It’s also at all five ANBL Growler stations this weekend, so fill up, New Brunswickers!

• Staying on the Island, Upstreet has released their first American IPA, Island Hopspitality. Described as a “West Coast IPA”, the grist is made up mostly of Maritime Malt, with a little Crystal and Melanoidin as well. Four Southern Hemisphere hop varieties (none of which have been used at Upstreet before) were added to the beer: Ella, Sticklebract, Pacifica, and Wai-iti. About 75% of the hop addition was added 5 minutes before the end of the boil, with the rest making up the dry-hop addition, so expect plenty of citrus and floral notes in the aroma and flavour. Look for this 6.5% ABV, 50 IBUs IPA at the brewery now, and at select tap accounts.

• On to Nova Scotia! Big Spruce and Boxing Rock have teamed up to release a collaboration, Shame on You IPA. Brewed to protest “Crafty” beers, and raise awareness of locally-owned and run NS Craft Breweries. Bittered with Bravo, with late flavour/aroma additions of Amarillo, El Dorado, and Centennial, it was then dry-hopped with Chinook and Citra. The result? Plenty of fruity, tropical, piney aromatics and flavours, all in an authentic 6.0% ABV and 41 IBU package. A single batch of 1700 litres was brewed, so be sure to get it while you can. It is available at both breweries now, at this evening’s session of the Seaport Beerfest, and on tap at finer establishments this weekend.

• Meanwhile, Unfiltered has – of course – brewed up a new hoppy beer for the special day. Deity SMaSH DIPA was brewed entirely with 2-row malt and the Columbus hop variety, to 7.5% ABV and a calculated IBUs of 100. Described by the brewery as “massively juicy, with a spicy, herbal nose”, think of this one as the fraternal twin to their popular Double Orange Ale (which features Citra instead of Columbus). On tap now at Charm School and the brewery for pints and growler fills.

• Truro’s The Nook and Cranny has their new IPA out just in time for this week. Coming in at 6.0% ABV, it was dry-hopped with Moutueka and Centennial for a big blast of fruit and citrus in the aroma and flavour, balanced with some malt sweetness to even it all out. Be sure to drop by the brewpub to give it a try while it lasts!

Don’t worry, there’s lots of other beer news that doesn’t necessarily revolve around IPAs!

• Big Tide is celebrating their 7th Anniversary today, and have brewed a new edition of their Anniversary Amber to celebrate! This year’s batch features seven varieties of malt in the grist, and a total of 2009 grams (get it?) of local Cascade and West Coast Willamette hops. Brewmaster Wendy Papadopoulos describes it as “malty with a moderate bitterness of 50 IBUs”, it’s available on tap for pints and growler fills starting today at the brewpub, and clocks in at 7% ABV (naturally). And look for their Valley View Saison to make a return next week, as well as a special raspberry version.

• TrailWay had a special sneak preview of their newest beer earlier this week during the Fredericton Beer Run. Luster is their latest hoppy session ale that the brewery is describing as “hazy and bright, with tropical-juicy hops, and full-bodied with a pillowy mouthfeel” (thanks in part to the generous use of Flaked Oats). Heavily-hopped (all late-additions and dry hops) with Comet, Galaxy and Topaz, it weighs in at a very-low 3.7% ABV and somewhere around 25 IBUs. Available now at the brewery for pints and growlers fills, and on tap at select tap accounts in Fredericton.

• Propeller released their latest One Hit Wonder, Pokemon Pilsner, last Friday afternoon. Billed as an American-style Pilsner, the addition of Acid malt to the grist provides a slight, crisp tartness to the beer, and the Northern Brewer hops give a “spicy, herbaceous profile” to the 5% ABV, 20 IBUs beer. Described as “clean, dry, and super-drinkable, with a creamy white head and balanced taste profile”, sounds like there’s still a little of this left for growler fills at both Prop Shop locations, select private stores, as well as on tap at a few accounts in the city.

• Good Robot is releasing a new beer today, 4th Chamber – Brew-Tang Ale – that they’re calling a Berliner Weisse/Witbier/Gose hybrid. Brewed with Pilsner, Wheat, and Acid malt, it was hopped entirely with Sorachi Ace, and fermented with Abbey IV, a Belgian yeast strain. With the addition of salt, coriander, and Lactobacillus bacteria, the result is a pale, effervescent, fruity, sour beer that is super-sessionable at only 3% ABV. Get down to the brewery to give this one a try!

• There’s lots going on at Tatamagouche Brewing, so let’s get to it! First off, they’re releasing Ace of Lace, a Witbier at their retail store tomorrow, and it’s an interesting one! Brewed mainly with Pilsner malt and Wheat, with a bit of Rye, Queen Anne’s Lace (a medicinal wildflower) and Indian Plum berries were added to the hopback, along with coriander. In addition, the beer was lightly dry-hopped with Sorachi Ace and Amarillo, and fermented with a Belgian yeast strain. The resulting beer has herbal tea and orange zest notes in a 4.3%, 18 IBU package. Available in cans and growlers, and hitting tap accounts soon, a cask version will also be tapped this weekend at the brewery.

• In more TataBrewNews, early next week, they will be releasing a second batch of their collaboration with Bishop’s Cellar, Cellar Slammer Summer Session, the 4.4% Session IPA featuring loads of Mosaic, Hallertau Blanc, and Amarillo. Look for it in cans and growler fills (both at the brewery and Bishop’s Cellar), and kegs at your local watering hole. There is also a cask earmarked to be served next Friday Aug 12 at Tata itself, with even more hops added in the firkin. On hand that Friday and Saturday will be The Food Wolf food truck, serving up food to complement to beer sampling.

• And finally in Tata News, look out for several special releases beginning Wednesday of next week.  First up, they are releasing a series of Barrel-Aged Belgian Golden Strong ales. The 7.8% base beer was brewed earlier in the year, and had been aging for several months, before fruit was added to each one: Raspberry, Strawberry & Ginger, and Cherry & Blackberry. The first two releases will happen next week, with the cherry & blackberry beer coming a little later. These will be available in very limited amounts for sampling at the brewery, with bottles available for purchase. Joining these will be the next pair of beers in their Giant Beer Series. For the first time in this higher-ABV, bottle-only brews, they are going Belgian, with an 8.4% ABV Belgian Tripel. Brewed with primarily Pilsner malt, and Saaz with a touch of Mallertau Mittelfruh hops for bittering, this beer is bottle conditioned for higher carbonation and to extend the lifetime of the beer. Joining the Tripel is a small release (only 15 cases) of the Barrel-Aged Two Rivers Baltic Porter, the 8.0% ABV big brother to the Two Rivers, which spent 4 months in Ironworks barrels. Look for exact release details on their social media pages, as they roll out beginning Aug 10!

• There are several new beers available now/coming soon at Gahan House – Halifax. First up is Crosscurrent American Pale Ale, which is currently pouring and will be joining the regular lineup at the brewpub. Planned to evolve over time, the beer will showcase different hop combinations while incorporating the same malt bill (Pale malt with small amounts of Flaked Oats and Red Wheat); the current hops being used are El Dorado (whirlpool and dry hop) and Amarillo (dry hop only). Currently 5.5% ABV and 35 IBUs, it has lots of hop flavour, but low bitterness for the style. Also on tap at the brewpub is a new 4.0% ABV wheat House Beer. Brewed in the German Weizen style, with notes of clove and banana, the beer was partially cleared, but still retain some of the characteristic haziness from the yeast and high wheat content in the beer. A dry-hopping with Saaz completes the beer. And next week, the brewery will be releasing Maritime Brine, a Gose described as “delicately acidic, salty, and lemony” that comes in at 3.8% ABV and 8 IBUs.

• After quickly selling out of their last “Something Different” cider, Garden Strawberry, Annapolis Cider Company luckily has brewed up a new entry, Sour Cherry. Made by infusing a dry cider with sour cherry juice – and then sweetening it with a touch of fresh-pressed apple juice – the result is a “fairly dry, very food-friendly cider”. It’s available right now for 750 mL bottle fills; the charity receiving part of the proceeds for this one will be Camp Brigadoon.

• Mill Street St John’s has released their latest beer, Brehm’s Blueprint. Named after the German Brewmaster and architect who designed the Bavarian Brewery on Leslie Street, this German Pilsner features traditional Hersbrucker hops for floral and earthy notes on a crisp base beer. An ode to the familiar Newfoundland brands of Blue Star and Jockey Club once brewed at Bavarian, this 5.0% ABV, 30 IBU beer is available now on tap for pints and growler fills. Keep an eye out for upcoming releases, including an IPA and California Common.

• Garrison has released their latest one-off creation, Peanut Butter Honey Ale. The base beer is their Roggen Dunkel (aka Klingon Warnog), with real peanut butter and honey blended into the beer post-fermentation. This 5.3% ABV beer is only available at the brewery for samples, so you’ll have to visit their Marginal Road location for a taste!

• There’s a new beer available from Big Axe in Nackawic, Sea Buckthorn Golden Sour Ale. As with many Big Axe beers, the beer features an ingredient found in New Brunswick, in this case, Sea Buckthorn. A type of berry that the brewery says has been used as a cure-all for thousands of years, it was used amply in the beer to help result in ale that is “slightly sour, yet refreshing and bitter”. Hopped with Palisade, the beer comes in at 4.8% ABV. Look for it at the brewery now and on tap at several Big Axe accounts; it will also be making an appearance at this weekend’s Halifax Seaport Beerfest.

• Halifax’s Rockbottom Brewpub has a pair of new beers on tap these days, including the 5.0% Blanched Blonde Witbier, brewed in the traditional Belgian style, with low bitterness (25 IBUs), with orange aroma and a slight phenolic spiciness. Also on tap is the Dark Mild, which, when served on nitrogen, has a nice creamy mouthfeel and notes of toast, treacle, and quince fruit from the English yeast-derived esters. Upstairs at sister-bar Your Father’s Moustache, the entire Nine Locks complement is available, including the latest Watermelon Blonde release. And available this afternoon will be a special house-only beer, a 4.1% ABV Berliner Weisse. This traditional style features wheat notes on a sour base, not unlike a tart lemonade with a hint of citrus dry hopping.

• The latest beer from Alexander Keith’s Historic Brewery is now available, Fundy Low Tide White IPA. The 5.7% ABV was brewed with 50% torrified wheat and 50% Golden Promise, for a bready, wheat character, with a solid 60 IBU bitterness from Amarillo, Cascade, Mosaic and El Dorado hops in the boil and dry hopping. 7 kilograms of locally-harvested seaweed was added to the boil, a 50/50 blend of dulse and sea lettuce harvested by Seaboost during low tide off Grand Manan Island. The mild saltiness plays off the bold hop character, with notes of grapefruit rind and melon. It is available on tap at the brewery on Lower Water Street, and at the weekend’s Beerfest.

• Speaking of the Seaport Beerfest, there will be several special casks pouring at the Ladies Beer League / Brewnosers Cask Pavillion, including a special cask of Red Rover Dragon Slayer (featuring local cranberries), named Hop the Magic Dragon, after the hops added to the cask. Also pouring will be some special one-offs from Gahan, Boxing Rock, Garrison and Moosehead. Be sure to check the full beer list here, and we’ll see you there!

A few more parting shots before we call it a wrap:

– Port Rexton Brewing has added a third beer to their lineup this week, the Island Blonde. This 5.6% ABV beer is available on tap, joining their Horse Chops IPA and Night ‘Bous Porter.
– York County Cider is on tap for the first time, with their Like an Academic – a 6.5% ABV blueberry cider – on tap now, and their hopped cider, An Apple a Day, on deck. Drop by the Cidery today for samples of their next special blend, details of which are under wraps.
– Picaroons has re-released their Pride Sally Pride, a 4.5% ABV Pale Ale brewed with Amarillo hops and apricot flavouring; look for it on tap now at the Brewtique and General Store, as well as several Pics accounts.

Friday Wrap-Up – News from Red Rover, Gahan/PEIBC, Hammond River, TataBrew, TrailWay and more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2016-07-08
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Annapolis Cider Company, Big Spruce Brewing, Bishop's Cellar, Brewbakers, Charm School, FirkinStein Brewing, Fredericton Cider Festival, Gahan House (Charlottetown), Good Robot Brewing, Hammond River Brewing, Maybee Brewing, Moncton Beer League, Newfermenters Homebrew Club, PEI Brewing Co., Port Rexton Brewing Co., Propeller Brewing, Red Rover Craft Cider, Schoolhouse Brewery, Tasting NB, Tatamagouche Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Unfiltered Brewing, Urban Beer Hike. 4 comments

Happy Friday! After some great weather on the Canada Day weekend, we are back to the reality of Atlantic Canadian weather, so best to grab a growler, can or bottle, and stay inside to read the latest beer news from our region.

• Red Rover released a new fruit cider earlier this week – Dragon Slayer is named after Saint George, well-known for his dragon-slaying abilities and Targaryen-thwarting. The cider was co-fermented with locally-sourced cranberries, giving it a crimson hue. Subtly sharp and rather tannic, as described by the cidery, it finishes quite dry and weighs in at 7% ABV. It’s available at the Cider House and farmers’ markets for growler fills, and should be on tap at a few select bars/restaurants in New Brunswick, including 540 Kitchen & Bar and Snooty Fox in Fredericton, and Ducky’s in Sackville.

• Gahan House – Charlottetown has taken their Belgian Blonde Ale, Belgium Blue, and tweaked it a bit for some lucky New Brunswick beer drinkers! They added a special roast of local Receiver Coffee sourced from Tomila, Columbia, resulting in Coffee Belgian Blonde. The coffee is described by PEI Brewing Co. brewmaster Chris Long as “juicy, acidic, and fruity, with a mild chocolate flavour”. The original beer is light enough to let the coffee flavours shine through, “but complex enough to enhance the amazing aromas of this particular batch”. Clocking in at ~7.5% ABV, it’s available at all five ANBL growler stations this weekend. If you’re in Charlottetown and feeling left out, fear not – a couple of kegs were also sent to HopYard.

• And in other PEIBC news, the brewery has installed a used 7 BBL (~800 L) fermentor that will serve a dual purpose: growing up different yeast strains for seasonal batches, and for experimenting! Look for several new beers to be test-brewed over the coming weeks, including a dry-hopped version (with Ella and El Dorado) of their Sir John A’s Honey Wheat, a double-dry-hopped 1772 (Cascade first, then Simcoe and Mosaic), and a Saison dry-hopped with Goldings. And to celebrate their recent four Gold medals at the 2016 Canadian Brewing Awards, they have released The Gold Pack at the PEILCC, featuring cans of their Rogues Roost IPA, Setting Day Saison, Sir John A’s Honey Wheat, and Vic Park Pale Ale.

• Hammond River just brewed a new beer last night, and it’s one we’re confidant in saying hasn’t been attempted in these parts before! Rum Raisin Belgian Dubbel was brewed with a grist of Pilsner, Munich, Special B, Crystal, and Aromatic malts, and lightly hopped to 24 IBUs with Tettnang. Eight pounds of raisins were soaked in Eldorado 12 Rum, and then pureed and added to the end of the boil, along with plenty of Chapmans vanilla ice cream and dark Belgian Candi Syrup. Wait, there’s more – Madagascar vanilla beans will also be added during secondary fermentation. The targeted ABV is 7.1%, and on top of everything else, some of the beer may end up being barrel-aged! Look for the beer to be released over the next few weeks; we’ll keep you updated!

• Tatamagouche Brewing just canned and released their Cellar Slammer ISA, a new Session IPA brewed with the crew from Bishop’s Cellar in Halifax. Hopped with Mosaic, Hallertau Blanc and a small addition of Amarillo, look for lots of tropical fruit aromas and flavours in this 4.7% ABV summer sipper. It is available in growlers and cans at the brewery, and in cans at Bishop’s Cellar now.

• TrailWay has recently re-released two hoppy ales that they haven’t had out for awhile. First up is their American IPA, Hugh John Hops; heavily hopped (with Mosaic in particular) to come in “dank, fruity and piney”, it comes in at 6.8% ABV. Next is the return of Patio for the first time since its initial release last summer. An American Wheat Ale hopped entirely with Topaz – with almost all of it being added at flameout and the dry-hop, to give a huge blast of tangerine and citrus, without a lot of bitterness – it’s very sessionable at 4.7% ABV. Both beers are available now for pints and growler fills at the brewery, as well as on tap at select accounts across Fredericton.

• FirkinStein Brewing just released a new beer yesterday at the Lunenburg Farmers’ Market, Anchors Aweigh Pale Ale. Described by the brewery as “light and refreshing, with a crisp, mild hoppy taste, and mild bitterness in the finish”, it weighs in at 6% ABV. It should be available at tomorrow’s Bridgewater Farmers’ Market in growlers and grunters, with 500 mL bottles  following next week. They will also be attending tomorrow’s Food Truck Rally at the Hubbards Barn & Community Park, from 4-8pm.

• Propeller Brewing is bringing out their latest One Hit Wonder today, Citrus Pale Ale. Brewed with a grist of Pale and Wheat malts, this beer features a big citrus nose and flavour, thanks to generous addition of Curaçao orange peel and Ahtanum hops added during the whirlpool phase (after boiling is complete). Cascade and Centennial hops help to balance the malt, with the final beer details coming in at 5.8% ABV and a light 25 IBUs. The beer will be available on tap and in growlers at the Gottingen location this afternoon (drop by after work), and on Windmill later this evening, or first thing tomorrow. As always, a few of these OHW kegs do make it into the wild at select bars, so if you spot it, grab a pint!

• Halifax’s Good Robot has teamed up with Falmouth’s Schoolhouse Brewery to release a special beer ahead of this weekend’s Evolve Festival. Skratch Plaskett – Electric Tambourine Ale is a light-bodied 5.8% ABV Pale Ale, featuring a set of American and Australian hops: Warrior for bittering (contributing to most of the 25 IBUs), Cascade in the whirlpool for some flavour and aroma, and Summer as a dry hop for an Aussie aroma of stone, tropical, and citrus fruits. Skratch Plaskett is the result of 8 test batches and iterations, as the characteristics were honed in on their desired recipe for a crushable beer with lots of character. Much like the name implies, it is a true collaboration of a beer! The beer will be available at the Evolve Festival (happening near Moncton), as well as on tap/growlers at Good Robot and Schoolhouse’s market location shortly.

• And in more Good Robot news, keep your eyes peeled for the return of The Shocking Pink, their Gose blended with pink lemonade and hibiscus tea, as well as Burban Legend American Pale Ale v6.0, dry-hopped with currently-unnamed experimental hop 342 from Hop Breeding Company. This hop lends a floral, citrus, and melon characters to the beer. And for those loved, or missed and wanted to try, the New Zealand IPA Beta Brew that debuted at the Tap Room this week, the single keg is all gone, but will be returning in another iteration soon.

• Maybee Brewing has started canning another of their flagship beers – Stone House Tripel is now available in 500 mL cans for purchase at the brewery in Fredericton; they also should be for sale at the Picaroons General Store in Saint John by sometime next week. Also note that Maybee recently doubled their number of taps to 12, which means more new beers in the future, as well as several taps dedicated to other NB breweries for taproom purchase.

• Unfiltered has released another batch of Front Line Rocker, their 8% Double IPA brewed with the famous Conan yeast. It’s back on tap at the brewery and Charm School, at noon and 4pm today, respectively, and will be delivered to local bars very shortly. Be sure to drop by Charm School tomorrow afternoon for an Indochine Bahn Mi pop-up. Featuring Pork Belly marinated in Unfiltered’s Flat Black Jesus American Stout, they will be serving from 4-9pm (assuming the tasty treats last that long)

• Congratulations to the winners at last weekend’s Newfermenters Brew-Off! Bill Burton took Best-in-Show out of the 25 submissions, and will have a chance to brew his winning recipe with the crew at Port Rexton later in the summer. And speaking of which, PR has brewed the first beers on their new system, and are aiming to open in the next month or so!

As for what’s going on in the events section over the coming days and weeks…

• Annapolis Cider Company is throwing their grand opening party this weekend (Friday to Sunday), and to help celebrate, they’ll be offering tasting paddles – three 3 oz pours – of their three currently-available ciders for only $3. They’ll also be giving free tours of the cider cellar all three days, at 11 am, 2 pm and 4 pm.

• A final reminder that the second annual Tasting NB event happens tomorrow (Saturday, July 9th) in Fredericton at the Capital Complex, from 7-10 pm. Featuring 17 different producers of beer, cider, mead, spirits, and wine, your $55 ticket (if purchased in advance; $60 at the door) gets you unlimited samples for the evening.

• The Moncton Beer League is holding their second Urban Beer Hike on Saturday, July 23rd. The downtown walking tour will begin at Marky’s Laundromat at 1:45 pm, with several stops at various craft beer destinations in the city, before finishing at the Pump House brewpub around 5:30 pm. Each stop will feature beer and food samples, along with info sessions. Tickets are $49+fees, and are available online. Also note that ticket holders will receive $5 off their ticket for this year’s Atlantic Canadian Craft Brew Oktoberfest (Saturday, September 24th).

• It’s a few months away, but the date has been announced for the 2nd Annual Fredericton Cider Festival: Saturday, October 1st, on the Brewbakers covered patio. Tickets are on sale now, with two options available: regular tickets are $56.50 each and get you a custom sampling glass and unlimited 4 oz samples from 1:00-3:30 pm, while the $65 VIP ticket gets you the same, plus early entry at noon. Both local and larger cideries will be pouring, with over 25 different types likely to be available to sample.

A few more notes before signing off this week:

– Big Spruce has re-released their Meek Thy Maker, a Red IPA hopped with Amarillo, Columbus and Citra (which is replacing Cascade this time around). It’s on tap at the brewery now, with growlers available at supplied Farmers’ Markets, and many tap accounts in Nova Scotia.
– Railcar has brewed up another batch of their Smoked Molasses Porter; it’s available now at the brewery, and will be hitting the Fredericton ANBL growler station (Prospect St.) at the end of the month.
– Petit-Sault brewed up a SMaSH beer yesterday, featuring ingredient sourced nearby: Pale malt from Malt-Broue South-East Quebec and Cascade hops from nearby Aroostook Hop in Northern Maine. Look for it to hit the taps at the end of July.

Despite the weather, enjoy your weekend! In closing, Atlantic Business Magazine is running an online poll where you can vote for your favourite Atlantic Canadian brewery; it runs until July 29th, and the winner will be featured in the September edition of the magazine.

Friday Wrap-Up – News from Scudrunner Brewing, Downeast Beer Factory, Mill Street, Gray Stone Brewing, and more!

Posted by acbbchris on 2016-06-24
Posted in: Friday Wrap-Up. Tagged: Antigonish Townhouse, Authentic Seacoast Brewing, Big Spruce Brewing, Boxing Rock Black Box Challenge, Boxing Rock Brewing, Brasseurs du Petit Sault, Canada Day Bash, Distillerie Fils du Roy, Downeast Beer Factory, Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, Gray Stone Brewing, Grimross Brewing, Lazy Bear Brewing, Propeller Brewing, Red Rover Craft Cider, Schoolhouse Brewery, Scudrunner Brewing, Tatamagouche Brewing, TrailWay Brewing, Wayfarers' Ale. Leave a Comment

Welcome to the weekend, and it’s looking like a nice one! The start of summer doesn’t appear to have slowed down local beer news in any respect, so let’s get to it…

• Attention Central Newfoundland beer fans, there’s a new brewery scheduled to land in your region very soon! The brainchild of three avid homebrewing pilots, Scudrunner Brewing will be opening soon in Gander. Looking to bring well-made beer to their home base, they will be focusing on brewing flavourful and interesting styles for the local community on a 6hl system. Follow along on their progress on their website, Facebook, and Twitter pages, as they work towards opening before the end of the year.

• Downeast Beer Factory, located at 612 Windmill Rd in Dartmouth, will be launching their house-brewed beers this weekend. While their restaurant and bar have been open for a month and a half, their 18 hl brewhouse took a little bit longer to get up and running. Drop by tomorrow from 11am to grab a pint or growler of their 4.5% ABV Fiddler’s Irish Red Ale, or 6.0% ABV Game Changer IPA. In celebration, Downeast will be donating $5.00 from every bill to the Children’s Wish Foundation.

• Mill Street Brewpub’s new St John’s location held their Grand Opening this week, and launched the first of their beers produced onsite. Brewed on a state-of-the-art 10 hl Caspary system, Longshore Porter is the first Mill Street beer produced on the island. Weighing in at 4.8% ABV, this dark amber brew features strong caramel notes from the Carafa and Munich malts (on top of a Pale base), with a balancing bitterness from Clear Valley Hops Cascade and Chinook to 35 IBUs. Burton Ale yeast was used for the fermentation, for a light fruity ester profile and good attenuation, and a dry finish. Their second beer is conditioning now, and will be available late next week. Capelin Session IPA features Cascade, Chinook, and Pacific Gem in the boil, along with lots of Cascade and Mosaic hops added after fermentation. Named after the Capelin fish that can be caught as they swim into shallow water, this Session IPA is the perfect refreshment while waiting for the day’s catch, due to the low ABV despite layers of hops (for about 50 IBUs). The house-brewed beers join the dozen other Mill Street products on tap, a rotating list of which can be purchased to go in growlers. They join the 130+ beers available at the adjacent Bier Markt location.

• Fredericton, your wait is over… Gray Stone Brewing has officially announced the opening date for their brewery/taproom! Next Friday, July 1st, the 10 BBL (~11.5 hL) brewery will open the doors at their 221 King St. location downtown, starting at 11 am and continuing until midnight. Featuring a brewing team of four local brewers (Ian DeMerchant, Mark Budd, Steve Christie, and Ryan Placktis), Gray Stone will be launching with two beers: Patagonia Pale Ale, a light-to-medium-bodied APA with a “bold tropical flavour and aroma”, 5% ABV and 160 theoretical IBUs; and Black IPA, strongly hopped, with “mild roasted malt character and pine/citrus flavours”, and clocking in at 5% ABV and 127 IBUs. The taproom will feature 24 taps; in addition to Gray Stone brews, many other New Brunswick beers will be showcased on a rotating basis. The Canada Day opening will feature plenty of beer, food, and games as a kick-off to summer! After the launch, their regular hours will be Monday-Thursday 11am-11pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-12am, and Sunday 12pm-7pm. They will be filling growlers in the future; details are still TBA.

• Boxing Rock has released the third beer from their first homebrew competition, the Black Box Challenge. Hop Springs Eternal, a White IPA, was the first runner-up in the comp, brewed by local homebrewers Mark Reid and Sean Ebert. With a malt bill comprised of over 30% Wheat, and “hopped generously” with Columbus, Cascade, Willamette, and Pacifica, expect plenty of fruity, citrusy character in the aroma and flavour. Fermented with “an obscure yeast strain”, the beer weighs in at 5.4% ABV. You can find it at the brewery, at select tap accounts and all four private liquor stores in Halifax, and in growlers at the Halifax Seaport Market and Alderney Farmers’ Market on Saturdays. And in other Boxing Rock news, they’ve also re-released their Professor McDougall’s Oban Heather Scottish Ale, brewed in collaboration with local homebrewer Jason McDougall, and Bottle Blonde, a Blonde ale featuring a healthy dose of rye malt in the grain bill. Look for more details on all three beers at BR’s blog.

• TrailWay has released a new Pale Ale, Summit APA. Hopped entirely with the Summit variety, this 4.7% ABV, light-coloured beer has characteristics of garlic and onion in the aroma and flavour, as is typical for this particular hop. Joining it is a fresh batch of their Primetime APA; both beers can now be enjoyed in the hot sun on their newly-opened patio, or purchased in growlers to go. As usual, food trucks will be serving up delicious treats at the taproom location both today and tomorrow.

• Schoolhouse Brewery has announced a major expansion, including a move to 40 Water St. in downtown Windsor, where they will be brewing on a repurposed10 BBL, copper brew house. The new location will feature a retail space and taproom with a patio; with 6 taps dedicated to Schoolhouse beers, and another six to other Nova Scotia craft breweries, the local beer selection in Windsor will definitely see a bump! Renovations are planned to start on July 1st, with brewing commencing hopefully by early November. Plans are for the retail store to open in December, with the taproom following next Spring. Congratulations to the Schoolhouse family, and as always, we’ll keep you updated on their progress! In the meantime, they have announced that their beers are now available on tap at Saint-Famille Wines in Falmouth.

• Petit-Pacquetville’s Distillerie Fils du Roy has launched a pair of new beers recently. Late last week, they launched Lady Chaga, an Acadian Pale Ale (inspired by the English IPA style), featuring the locally-harvested Chaga mushroom. Described by Fils du Roy as being very hoppy and bitter, with notes of citrus and a nutty finish, this amber-coloured beer clocks in at 7% ABV and ~60 IBUs. This beer is available exclusively at La Brokerie, a bar in Caraquet, though there may be a keg available elsewhere very soon (coughJamesJoycecough). In addition, this week saw the launch of Gougou, a cranberry-infused beer. This 7% ABV Fruit Beer was inspired by the writings of Samuel de Champlain, who spoke of the Gougou, a monster who would terrorize the native inhabitants of the Baie des Chaleurs. This special brew is only available at La Terrasse à Steve, a seafood restaurant on Miscou Island. Finally, look for the return of La Messe Blanche, their 7% ABV Weizenbock, which was bottled earlier this week.

• Propeller has released the latest beer in their One Hit Wonder series – June Bock. A Maibock (aka Helles Bock), this style is a pale-coloured, malty, strong German Lager. Propeller’s take on this classic style features Two Row, Pilsener, Wheat, Munich malts, and is hopped solely with Hallertauer. The resultant beer is 6.8% ABV and 35 IBUs, and features a moderate bitterness, slight floral hop flavour, and a bright golden colour, according to the brewery. As always, it’s available in a limited supply, so get down to either Prop Shop location to fill your growlers ASAP! It will also likely pop up on tap at a few select locations in Halifax, shortly.

• Tatamagouche Brewing just released a new SMaSH (single-malt and single-hop) beer, Horton Ridge SMaSH. With a grist made up entirely of Horton Ridge Pale Malt, the 5.4% ABV beer was hopped with Amarillo, a crowd-favourite variety that’s big on grapefruit and citrus. Available at the brewery for growler fills now, and should be following on tap at better beer bars and restaurants any day now.

• Now that the new Authentic Seacoast Distillery and Brewery facility has officially opened at 75 Ferry Lane in Guysborough, we have some more information to share: they have christened their new 35 hl brewhouse, so expect to see product from the new system hitting shelves in the next month or so. The brewhouse will also be creating the mash for their line of GLYNNEVAN whisky. Hours of operation for their tasting room are 11am-6pm daily, with tours running at 2pm throughout the summer.

• Petit-Sault has welcomed a new brewer for the summer – Andrew ‘Esty’ Estabrooks, former brewmaster at Picaroons, will be brewing at the Edmundston brewery over the next couple of months, to help with the transition on the recently-expanded brewery and taproom… which means, more Petit-Sault beer! Speaking of, their beers are now heading to Nova Scotia for the first time, with their Amber Ale, Louis XVII, having the honour of being the first brand! Look for it at NSLC stores across the province shortly.

• Lazy Bear Brewing has confirmed that they will be opening their retail location on Thursday, June 30th, from 5-8 pm. Located at 120 West Old Post Rd in Smiths Cove, NS, this will be a “soft opening”, with current plans being to open every Thursday thereafter. Growlers (1 L swing-top) will be available for purchase, and both of their first-release beers will be pouring; of course, they will happily fill clean growlers from other breweries as well! They will also be attending the CD release show for Ramshackle & Scarecrow at the Sissiboo Coffee Bar in Smiths Cove July 2nd, pouring their beer. They are now available in Halifax at the Lord Nelson’s The Arms Public House, and will be on tap at East of Grafton on Argyle when they open June 29th. In the meantime, check out their updated website (link above) for some details on the family behind the beers!

• A for Adventure is holding a contest to raise awareness of the Rogues Roost wilderness area in Nova Scotia. Check out the video, and plan to make a visit this summer. The prize pack is a kayak adventure including lunch from PEI Brewing (including some Rogues Roost IPA), $100 MEC gift card, all guided by the A for Adventure crew.

• Big Spruce and Boxing Rock brewed up a pilot batch of a new Blonde recently, and it is available in Nyanza now. Wigged Out is a 5.0% ABV blonde ale, featuring late addition Cascade hops for a low bitterness, but aromatic character, for an extremely quaffable beer. It is only available on tap at their tasting room this weekend, so be sure to drop by for some, and grab some food from Cruisin’ Cuisine food truck, who are there 12-7pm daily Fri-Sun.

We’ve got a bit on events in the next couple of weeks, including some Canada Day celebrations.

• A couple of final reminders for this weekend: tonight and tomorrow, Upstreet will be celebrating their first birthday with some special parties and an anniversary beer release; check out our previous post for more details. And in Fredericton tomorrow, Maybee Brewing is holding their Grand Opening Party from 6-11 pm, to celebrate the opening of their taproom.

• The second annual Canada Day Bash at the Lighthouse, hosted by the Fredericton Craft Beer Festival, will take place at the Lighthouse on the Green from 8pm-11pm. Tickets are $55 each and on sale now, and will get you fourteen 4-oz samples from local breweries TrailWay, Maybee, Red Rover, and Sunset Heights Meadery, as well as a variety of food options served up from the Food at the Crowne. And, of course, you’ll have a prime spot to watch the fireworks when they start after it gets dark!

• The Townhouse Pub in Antigonish is celebrating their 4th Anniversary next weekend. They’ll be releasing the details of the party and events shortly, check their Twitter and Facebook feeds for more details.

• Wayfarers’ Ale in Port Williams expects to be opening their doors next weekend as well. Details are slim at the moment, but we’ll share them when we have them!

And a few more things of note this week:
– Red Rover has re-released Tinderbox, a 7% ABV cider featuring the addition of bourbon and oak; it’s currently on tap at both the Cider House and James Joyce.
– Grimross has launched “Phase One” of a series of expansions; they appear to be embiggening their taproom and retail space currently, and promise that canning of their beers will be commence in the near future.